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Create your own Diversity Book Club

Thanks to funding through the Inclusion and Diversity Fund of the Royal Society of Chemistry, we successfully ran a pilot of a Diversity Book Club for a year within Warwick Chemistry.

"The possibility to exchange perceptions about the topic and book was very valuable and interesting."

"[I learned] science is biased and has been used as an instrument to shape the 'truth' of the time."

"I felt I learnt a lot from the sessions - from others' experience"

   
-Book Club Participants

As part of our objectives, our aim was to not only run this Diversity Book Club, but also make all the materials open access so that other universities/departments can run their own using the content we have developed. Below you will find all the materials you will need to start your own Diversity Book Club.

Book Club Resources (Downloadable Files)

Description

(0) Running a Diversity Book Club

  Practical Guide - Getting you started

Documentation detailing how to run the Diversity Book Club, as well as what each resource is used for.

(1) Advertisement Posters

  Diversity Book Club General - Promotional Poster

  Superior by Angela Saini - Promotional Poster

  Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez - Promotional Poster

  Straightjacket by Matthew Todd - Promotional Poster

  Sway by Pragya Agarwal - Promotional Poster

  All Posters - Editable Files

Editable posters to advertise the Diversity Book Club around your own department.

(2) Proposed Timeline

  Proposed timeline

A plan of the session timings throughout the year, including when to host each session.

(3) Introduction to each Book Presentation

  Introduction to Book 1 - Superior by Angela Saini

  Introduction to Book 2 - Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez

  Introduction to Book 3 - Straightjacket by Matthew Todd

  Introduction to Book 4 - Sway by Pragya Agarwal

A presentation with information about the author and key statistics from the RSC booklets to start each new book off.

(4) Self-reflective Questions

Example Questions for Participants

To ask participants for feedback at the end of each book.

(5) Email Template Examples

Example Email Templates for Participants

To streamline your communication and provide an already outlined template for you to adapt as needed.

(6) Facilitator Guide Booklet

Facilitator Guide Booklet (Editable)

Designed to provide support and guidance to the volunteers who will be hosting their specific book club session. This includes how to facilitate, how to manage conflict, and how to report an incident if a complication arises.

(7) Facilitator Training Presentation

Facilitator Training Presentation (Editable)

A presentation version of the Facilitator Guide Booklet, to work through with the facilitators to ensure everyone is confident in their role.

(8) Facilitator Crib Sheets

Superior by Angela Saini (Paperback edition 2020):

  Superior - Facilitator Crib Sheet 1

  Superior - Facilitator Crib Sheet 2

  Superior - Facilitator Crib Sheet 3

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez (Paperback edition Vintage 2020):

  Invisible Women - Facilitator Crib Sheet 1

  Invisible Women - Facilitator Crib Sheet 2

  Invisible Women - Facilitator Crib Sheet 3

Straightjacket by Matthew Todd (Paperback edition Black Swan 2018):

  Straightjacket - Facilitator Crib Sheet 1

  Straightjacket - Facilitator Crib Sheet 2

  Straightjacket - Facilitator Crib Sheet 3

Sway by Pragya Agarwal:

  Sway - Facilitator Crib Sheet 1

  Sway - Facilitator Crib Sheet 2

  Sway - Facilitator Crib Sheet 3

Booklet questions for each Diversity Book Club session, with possible answers to questions to act as a guide to assist facilitation.

(9) Participant Guide Booklet

Participant Guide Booklet (Editable)

A breakdown of how the Diversity Book Club runs for participants, including reporting routes in the event of conflict/a dispute, or a breach of dignity and respect during book club discussions.

(10) Discussion Booklets

Superior by Angela Saini (Paperback edition 2020):

  Superior - Booklet 1

  Superior - Booklet 1 (Editable)

  Superior - Booklet 2

  Superior - Booklet 2 (Editable)

  Superior - Booklet 3

  Superior - Booklet 3 (Editable)

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez (Paperback edition Vintage 2020):

  Invisible Women - Booklet 1

Invisible Women - Booklet 1 (Editable)

Invisible Women - Booklet 2

Invisible Women - Booklet 2 (Editable)

Invisible Women - Booklet 3

Invisible Women - Booklet 3 (Editable)

Straightjacket by Matthew Todd (Paperback edition Black Swan 2018):

Straightjacket - Booklet 1

Straightjacket - Booklet 1 (Editable)

Straightjacket - Booklet 2

Straightjacket - Booklet 2 (Editable)

Straightjacket - Booklet 3

Straightjacket - Booklet 3 (Editable)

Sway by Pragya Agarwal:

Sway - Booklet 1 

 Sway - Booklet 1 (Editable)

Sway - Booklet 2

Sway - Booklet 2 (Editable)

Sway - Booklet 3

Sway - Booklet 3 (Editable)

Booklet questions for each Diversity Book Club session, with possible answers to questions to act as a guide to assist facilitation.

Additional Documents

Diversity Landscape of the Chemical Sciences - RSC Report - Ethnicity (Book 1)

Breaking the Barriers - RSC Report - Gender (Book 2)

Exploring the Workplace for LGBT+ Physical Scientists - RSC/IOP Report (Book 3)

Is publishing in the chemical sciences gender biased - RSC Report - Bias (Book 4)

Diversity Book Club RSC Inclusion and Diversity Forum Poster 2021 - Project Summary

Diversity Book Club RSC Inclusion and Diversity Forum Poster 2021 Text - Text version for accessibility